Technologist and Maker

Raspberry Pi Model B+ Released

After about two years since the launch of the Raspberry Pi model B, the Raspberry Pi Foundation launched the Raspberry Pi model B+. Although exciting, the model B+ is more of an evolutionary change (incremental) vs. a revolutionary (transformational) change. Some of the major changes in the model B+ include:

The B+ has 40 general purpose I/O (GPIO) pins, 14 more than the model B. Conveniently, the first 26 GPIO pins are the same on the model b and B+

The composite audio and video are combined into one jack and audio quality is improved, the camera display connector and Ethernet port remain unchanged

However minor, the power USB port has been moved to the side of the board next to the HDMI connector, which is nice to no longer have cables necessary on one side of the board.

Two addition mounting holes are provided which makes mounting the board in enclosures a bit easier.

The SD card has been replaced with a micro SD card that protrudes much less from the bottom side of the board.

And possibly one of the best improvements of the model B+, especially where batteries are used to power the board, is the reduction in power required for the model B+ (reduced power consumption by between 0.5W and 1W).

The Raspberry Pi Foundation plans to continue production of both the Raspberry Pi model B and B+, both of which are available for purchase for $35. Outside of commercial use the Pi, where specific hardware enclosures have been fabricated for the model B, the model B+ will be the more popular model moving forward.